Fiber optic cables are widely used for transmitting telecommunications signals. It is common to produce fiber optic cables for transmitting such signals by surrounding one or more optical fibers within a loose fitting buffer tube in order to isolate the fibers from bending and tensile stresses imparted on the cable. It is also known that the cable may be strengthened by including one or more steel strength members within the cable. In this regard, several prior patents have proposed cables comprising a number of optical fibers disposed loosely within a buffer tube and having at least one strength member outside the buffer tube and incorporated within the cable. For example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,420,220 Dean et al., 5,029,974 Nilsson, and 5,138,685 Arroyo et al. disclose such cables.
In circumstances in which telecommunications signals are transmitted over long distances, signal repeaters are oftentimes employed to boost the effective transmission distance of the cable. Conventionally, these signal repeaters are powered by electrical current transmitted via the cable. In an emerging telecommunications architecture, however, fiber optic cables are replacing more traditional copper facilities. In addition, the local telephone company also typically provides power to a subscriber's telephone via the pair of copper wires which also carry the telecommunications signals. Accordingly, it may be desirable to distribute electrical power over a fiber optic cable either directly to a subscriber or to other electronic components, such as signal repeaters, remaining along a copper portion of the network.
It is also known that fiber optic cables can be produced which include electrical conductors in order to supply power to signal repeaters or other electronic components. The electrical conductors can also be used to carry communication messages themselves. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,189,718 to Barrett et al. discloses the use of electrical conductors in conjunction with a fiber optic cable wherein the electrical conductors are contained within a separate tube attached to the tube containing the optical fibers.